Wondering how to get from Florence to Cinque Terre? This guide gives you all details about how to make this journey in Italy!
Table of Contents
Cinque Terre
Cinque Terre is an area in Liguria. It consists of five beautiful villages. The villages are Riomaggiore, Corniglia, Manarola, Vernazza and Monterosso al Mare.
All belong to the Cinque Terre National Park. That's a UNESCO World Heritage Site. So that's very impressive! Furthermore, the villages are next to the sea.
Cinque Terre is a very popular place for tourists. The buildings are colorful and all villages are photogenic. For that reason, it's also famous because of all the photo spots in Cinque Terre.
There are many cute narrow streets where you can get lost.
Monterosso al Mare is the only village without colorful houses. But it's still a great place to visit. You can have a lovely beach day there. Moreover, the views over the sea at Monterosso al Mare are beautiful.
Cinque Terre is also very popular for hiking. There are hiking routes between the villages. For hiking, you need a Cinque Terre Card that you can buy online.
The reason that the name of the area is Cinque Terre, is that Cinque Terre means five lands. Thus, it stands for the five villages.
Also, the weather in Cinque Terre is great. The summers are warm and the winters are mild, so that's perfect.
I recommend going to Cinque Terre for 2 days, as that allows you to have the best experience.
Florence
Florence is a beautiful city in Italy and it's a city with the largest population in Tuscany. In the Medieval Period, Florence was a very wealthy place. Back then, it was the center of finance and trade in Europe.
Many people see Florence as the city where the Renaissance began. Furthermore, people even call it "the Athens of the Middle Ages".
For a long time, the Medici family ruled Florence. Nowadays, you can still see a lot of influence of the Medici family in the artworks in Florence.
Thus, the history of Florence is very impressive. It's interesting to learn more about it when you're in the city.
Besides the history, the beauty of Florence is also an important reason that people go there. The architecture is amazing and there are many famous sights.
One of the most famous sights is the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. It's one of the largest churches in Italy. Also, for a long time, it was the largest in the world. The church looks beautiful and it's a very popular tourist sight.
Another beautiful place is the Ponte Vecchio. This is a very unique bridge with shops on it.
Moreover, there are also many great restaurants in Florence.
In short, it's one of the best cities to visit in Italy.
Distance
The distance from Florence to Cinque Terre is about 150 km/93 miles. So, you can get from Florence to Cinque Terre in about three hours! Thus, it's perfect for a day trip.
Day tours
If you're wondering how to get from Florence to Cinque Terre, it can also be convenient to do a day tour. For example, you can do an all-inclusive day tour from Florence to Cinque Terre.
It's a bus and train excursion and you'll visit four villages. You're going to go to Manarola from Florence by bus. The bus ride is beautiful and it's very fun to travel on the Italian road.
Furthermore, you will go to Riomaggiore from Manarola by ferry! This is an amazing activity, as the view from the water is wonderful.
The tour even includes a very delicious lunch. Moreover, during the train rides, there is a tour leader that speaks several languages!
Especially if you want to see many villages in one day, this is very convenient. You don't have to worry about the planning, as the guide arranges everything!
You can book your day tour from Florence to Cinque Terre on this page from Get Your Guide!
Pisa
Pisa is a city between Florence and Cinque Terre. If you want to know how to get from Florence to Cinque Terre, you'll love Pisa too!
Pisa is a beautiful city in Tuscany. There are many interesting historic buildings to see in Pisa.
The most famous sight is the leaning tower. People also call it the Tower of Pisa.
The Tower is very popular, as it's actually leaning. This is the consequence of its unstable foundation. Many tourists take photos as if they are supporting the tower. So, it's a very popular place on Instagram.
Also interesting to know is that it's not completely clear who is the architect of the Tower. For a long time, everyone thought that Bonanno Pisano was the architect. But, years ago, research indicated that Diotisalvi is the architect.
The Tower of Pisa is about 55 meters high. Furthermore, the groundbreaking started in 1173 and the tower was ready in 1372. You can also climb the Tower, so that's a fun thing to do too! This is great if you want to have a view of the city.
Even though the Leaning Tower is very impressive, there are many other things you should see. For example, the Cattedrale di Pisa is very beautiful. It's next to the Tower of Pisa, so you can combine these two sights.
Pisa also has a university. It's interesting to learn more about the Univerity of Pisa, as it has a great history.
Florence to Cinque Terre by car
There are several answers on how to get from Florence to Cinque Terre. One way is by car. It will take about 2,5 hours to get to Cinque Terre from Florence by car.
Traveling by car has some advantages. You can choose your own travel times. You won't have to stick to the public transport schedules. Driving through Italy can be very fun, because of the beautiful landscape.
Furthermore, you can also stop in some other cities. For example, you can explore Pisa, as it's on the route.
But, the villages are very hard to access by car. The roads are very narrow and there aren't many places to park your car. It's also very expensive to park your car in Cinque Terre.
For that reason, it's best to park your car in La Spezia. La Spezia is very close to Cinque Terre. From there you can take a train that goes to all villages. The train between La Spezia and the villages is very convenient!
The most convenient place in La Spezia to park your car is at the train station La Spezia Centrale. It has an underground parking garage.
Traveling by bus
You can do part of your journey from Florence to Cinque Terre by bus. But, this isn't the most convenient way to travel to Cinque Terre from Florence.
There are Flixbuses between Florence and Pisa. Furthermore, there are also Flixbuses between Pisa and Cinque Terre. So, you can get from Florence to Pisa by bus.
La Spezia is very close to the villages of Cinque Terre. From La Spezia, you can get there by train.
I would not recommend traveling by bus, as it's not the most convenient way.
Florence to Cinque Terre by train
The train is a very convenient way to get from Florence to Cinque Terre.
First, you need to get to La Spezia. There are direct trains between Florence and La Spezia. But, sometimes you need to transfer trains in Pisa. If you transfer trains in Pisa, the journey is a bit faster.
You can buy your train ticket for the journey between Florence and La Spezia at Trenitalia.
Once you arrive in La Spezia, you can take the Cinque Terre Express. This train runs between La Spezia and all villages of Cinque Terre. It's very comfortable. Furthermore, you can also travel between the villages with the Cinque Terre Express.
You can buy single train tickets for the Cinque Terre Express. But, you can also buy the Cinque Terre Card.
There are two cards. The Cinque Terre Train Card gives you access to the trains and the hiking trails. It's very convenient, as you can use the train an unlimited amount of times. If you want to travel a lot between the villages, this is perfect and will save lots of money.
The other card is the Cinque Terre Trekking Card. That card only gives access to the hiking trails.
Best way to get from Florence to Cinque Terre
The best answer on how to get from Florence to Cinque Terre is by train. The train is by far the most convenient way to go there.
Trains in Italy are very good and comfortable. The route is very easy, as you can take a train from Florence to La Spezia. From there you can use the Cinque Terre Express, which will take you to all villages.
Traveling by car can be fun as well. But, parking in Cinque Terre and driving there is hard, so you can better park your car in La Spezia.
I would not recommend traveling by bus. Even though it's possible via Flixbus, the train is easier and more convenient.
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I was not aware of these 5 villages. Im going back to Florence in October and will not miss the opportunity to take the train to the villages.